96% Underissue of Visas to 21 Lands in Month of July State Department Reveals

September 15, 1932

Washington (Sep. 14)

Only 633 visas were issued to aliens in July of the quota of 14,838 available for twenty-one countries, it was disclosed yesterday by the Department of State.

This figure represents an underissue of 14,205 or 96 percent.

The decline is attributed in part to economic conditions in the United States and in part to the enforcement of the “likely to become a public charge” provision of the Immigration Act of 1917.

“Reports from American consular officers assigned to 21 countries whose annual quotas represent 148,383 of the total quota of 153,831, indicate that of the possible maximum issue based upon the monthly 10 per cent of the total quotas, which maximum issue equals 14,838, only 388 immigration visas were issued during July, 1932, to aliens entitled to preference under the immigration laws, and 245 to aliens not entitled to preference, making a total of 633 for the month,” say the Department of State. “This means that of the possible maximum of 14,838 quota numbers available during July for issuance to aliens born in the countries mentioned, there was an underissue of 14,205 or 96 per cent.

OTHER COUNTRIES

“Incomplete returns received to date from the remaining countries, whose annual quotas amount to 5,448, are not restricted to a 10 per cent monthly issue, indicate that only 76 visas were issued during July.

“The above results have been accomplished by consuls of the United States in the enforcement of existing provisions of law in the light of present economic conditions.

“In this connection, consular officers have been informed that, in view of the serious unemployment which exists in the United States particular care should be taken before issuing immigration visas to determine whether the applicants may become public charges. If any alien, upon whom the burden of establishing admissibility is placed by section 23 of the Immigration Act of 1924, should be unable to establish that he is not likely to become a public charge, the consular officer to whom he may have applied for a visa would have no other choice under section 2 (f) of the Immigration Act of 1924 than to refuse a visa. Section 2 (f) of the act cited provides in part that:

“No immigration visa shall be issued to an immigrant if it appears to the consular officer . . . that the immigrant is inadmissible into the United States under the immigration laws . . . nor shall such immigration visa be issued if the consular officer knows or has reason to believe that the immigrant is inadmissable into the United States under the immigration laws.”